Category: eyes

Guerlain ‘Terracotta – Terra Inca’ Khôl Kajal

I love a tight, neat pen liner but sometimes you crave some smudge and ink. And inky eyes are definitely “in” for the fall. So heavy your hand and don’t look back. And might as well do it with a cult favorite.

The Khôl Kajal by Guerlain reminds me of a crayon, and I couldn’t fathom how I was going to get a precise application when I saw it. But, trust. It delivers. Marcus, the absolute go-to artist, recommended applying it to the bottom lid and blinking to lift the liner to the top. Amazingly, this works! The line is precise but thicker. You can freely work with it on the eye to smudge and blend. If I want to go bolder, I apply it on top too.

What is so dreamy about the liner is its rich color. Don’t be intimidated about the packaging… just glide the tip of the marker along the lash line and you can’t go wrong. It is creamy in application and then a champ in staying power. I won’t let this gem out of my sight this fall, while rocking an inky eye with a nude lip.

Guerlain Four-Color Eye Shadow Palette

I am somewhat new to Guerlain cosmetics, but so far, they have impressed me completely. I was sold on the new Four-Color Eye Shadow Palette for Fall 2011 because they are seriously mistake-proof, blendable, simple and a mix of finishes. For those who want a finished look with more dimension to their eyes without a lot of fuss, these are worth the lux price tag.

I tried both the Les Fumés and Les Noirs with smashing results. For me, the Les Noirs (pictured below) was more sutable to a big look and a night on the town. I layered the shades and got a bold smokey look. The palette contained quite a bit of pigment. The Le Fumés was more neutral and can easily be worn at work or during the day. The matte base shade, top center, worked really well with the natural color of my lid. This quad is pictured bottom left in the second image.

The texture of the shadows is silky but you still get a powder effect so they are easy to work with and blend. You can easily wear the shades separately, but I encourage trying all four layered because the effect is a total wow. I applied the lightest shade on my lid to the brow. Second lightest to the crease, third in the crease and fourth over my liner.

If you are out and about at your Neiman’s this is worth checking out.

Hourglass Film Noir Full Spectrum Mascara

I have been through IT chaos this week and needed something to cheer me up. All it took was the receipt of Hourglass Film Noir Full Spectrum Mascara.

The Film Noir’s hourglass-shaped brush is smaller than other mascaras, but this lends to more precise application and is great for bottom lashes. The brush does a great job adding volume evenly and with good separation of the lashes. The effect isn’t intense, but appropriately inky.

The mascara contains Pro-Vitamin B5 which really keeps lashes supple and not “crispy”. Polymers provide staying power – I haven’t had any issues with it falling below my eyes. This product was a collaboration with Hourglass Creative Director Gina Brooke, who is a well known celebrity make-up artist, so no surprise that the mascara photographs beautifully.

RMS Beauty Cream Eyeshadow

The big question here is “does it crease?”. I am so happy to report: “NO!”. I have been working with this product for a couple weeks because I wanted to be absolutely sure I could report no crease. As long as you follow founder and makeup artist Rose-Marie Swift’s directions for nothing under the product, there will be zero gathering, clumping or creaseing.

There really is no need to pile anything on before, because this doubles as eye cream. The shadow moisturizes on its own and will work more effectively without interference of other products. Contact with other products can “affect its relationship with the skin.”

With all the hoopla behind mineral makeup, we know there is probably some benefit. But if you are like me, I find it drying on my dry to combo skin. This gem provides the benefit of minerals without drying with the addition of some team players: coconut oil, beeswax, jojoba seed oil, and cocoa seed butter.

Birchbox offers the Cream Shadow in the following colors:

Lunar, a shimmery nude
Magnetic, a violet-toned slate
Solar, a luminous gold

The color I chose was Lunar, but all the Birchbox offerings are very neutral. Lunar gives a brightness with just a slight shimmer.

NARS ‘Bright Lights, Big City’ Eyeshadow Palette (Nordstrom Exclusive)

Guys, if you are near a Nordstrom, this is worth a trip. This NARS palette is outstanding – if I sounds really enthusastic, good. I am positively giddy over this. I actually was planning on checking out some of the summer trios: Okinawa and Cap Ferrat, which are both gorgeous.

But the Bright Lights, Big City is sophisticated, timeless and so wearable and captured my heart. I am shy with darker colors but I literally dove into Night Clubbing to my crease and it is HOT. I adore Cyprus on the brow bone and Fathom in corners. Finally, I used Night Breed as a liner – just a small amount of sparkle literally luminates my lashes.

For a day look, I love Biarritz all over the lid with Coconut Grove as liner or blended in the crease. If you want darker liner, Night Clubbing would be a perfect tight line.

These colors are all available as single eyeshadows for $23. I would literally buy every single one, so for all six (albeit a smaller quantity) for $55 is a steal.

Top Row (left to right): Cyprus, Biarritz, Fathom

Bottom Row (left to right): Night Clubbing, Coconut Grove and Night Breed

Stila Prime Pot Waterproof Eye Shadow Primer

Ever want something that can make eyeshadow stick and withstand summer heat? And, to boot, no creases? My new, little Prime Pot is just what the doctor ordered. Right now, I am using this for a clean and neutral look that can withstand the pool and sweat. Over the last couple of days, it is also come in handy for a more awake look (crucial while battling this obnoxious cold). Expect a matte look that covers imperfections. I am fair and the Tawny matches my red-undertoned complexion. Carmel would work with deeper complexion and a more olive undertone. Stila claims the formula “sticks” to eyeshadow and keeps it from creasing and facilitates easy blending. It lives up to these claims. But right now, my favorite look is the smudge pot just on its own. The product is dry (hence the matte look), but I have no problem blending it with my finger and adjusting coverage. It isn’t a powder, but it’s not the creamiest of creams. Definitely a new summer staple for me.